(A/N: Now, I don't know how far I'll get with this, but I figured I'd post it for the hell of it, and maybe you guys can light a fire under my ass and actually make me finish. Anyway, most fics have Vlad seduce Robin, whether that means Robin panics and gives in or is suitably wooed, and I thought it might be fun to have it happen the other way around for a change. I hope that you either enjoy this story or get a good laugh at my pitiful attempt at literacy. Also, prepare yourselves for terrible music as well – every chapter will have a theme song.)

Theme song – You Can Count On Me by Default

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Vlad had been nearly silent all day. He stared off into the space between the ground and peoples' ankles, avoiding bumping into things solely out of muscle memory. Robin had noticed, of course, and kept quiet, steering his friend when he had to. Even when someone shoved him into a locker, the young vampire just brushed his shoulder off and continued on to his next class. It was to be expected, though. The next day was his sixteenth birthday.

In art, the two sat in solitary companionship, Vlad receiving it and Robin doing his best to give it. They didn't need to speak to understand each other. Robin liked to think that Vlad was grateful, that he helped in some way. The taller youth drew. The brunet just tapped his pencil against his paper. The same happened in each class until the end of the day, when the bell rang and both boys got up and left for the castle.

"This was my last day in the sun," Vlad said once they were safely tucked away in his tower room.

"Yeah. But you can still see it in movies," Robin replied, trying to be optimistic.

The blue-eyed youth didn't smile. "It's not the same."

Robin moved a bit closer to him. They were sitting on the large bed which after today Vlad would no longer need. "You'll get to live for eternity. That's a lot cooler than tanning," he said.

"An eternity being evil. Killing people. I'd rather be mortal," Vlad admitted.

"Come on. Ingrid didn't get any worse when she changed," Robin said.

"Boris did."

The expression on the young Dracula's face had become so despondent that his human friend could no longer contain himself. He shuffled over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "We both know you're not the kind of person who would be like that. Think about the good things you can do when you're the Grand High Vampire. You can make it so that vampires hardly ever drink peoples' blood at all," he comforted.

Vlad cast him a sad look. "But what about when I just start out as a vampire and I don't know how to suppress my urges yet? What if I bite someone? What if I bite… you?" he questioned.

Robin caught the vampire's eyes with his own. "Listen to me, Vlad. I will protect you, even from yourself," he said, searching for the right words, looking more serious than he ever had. "I won't let you do anything you wouldn't want to. Even if you don't believe in you, I do."

He was worried that his statement would be awkward, but instead, an inkling of grateful hope came over his friend's face. "Really, Robin? You mean that?" he murmured, leaning against the taller boy, tired from his internal struggle.

Robin felt a shiver go through him. "Of course." He squeezed Vlad's shoulder. "And I'll be here tomorrow to wait for you."

Vlad shook his head. "My grandparents will be here. All the important vampires will be coming for this," he protested.

The black-haired youth raised an eyebrow. "And they're so important that they don't have to listen to the Grand High Vampire when he says to leave the breather alone?"

"You have a point," Vlad conceded. "But you'll have to be careful."

Robin nodded eagerly. "I will be." 'Of course,' he thought to himself, 'I wouldn't mind getting bitten all that much.'

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There they were. He could see them through the window, vague shapes to the bare eye, but lucid silhouettes with his binoculars on. Two boys, one with dark brown hair, a little on the chubby side and shorter, and one with pitch-coloured hair, a smattering of freckles over his nose and taller. The first was going to be the new Grand High Vampire whom the watching man had been hired to slay. The second was… Well, there would be time enough for that. He licked his lips. Oh yes, precious time. He'd never taken such a valuable or exquisite souvenir from his previous hunts, but there was a first for everything.

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Robin stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Even Vlad had fallen asleep well over an hour ago, his breathing (how weird it was to think that this would be the last time he'd hear him breathe!) finally calming. But Robin couldn't rest. He had a lot on his mind.

The decision to stick by Vlad despite the dangers was instinctual and automatic. Of course he'd stay. How could he not? Vlad was everything to him.

Back when the rest of his family, the Van Helsings and that slayer who'd killed Will had been brainwashed, Robin had still remembered. He couldn't be sure why it hadn't worked, only that Vlad had seemed terribly relieved when he came back the next day. When the vampire had expressed astonishment at his intact memory, Robin had laughed. He'd lived a long, lonely life before Vlad came to town. They never talked about that time of his life, and he was thankful for that. All the nights he'd spent crying, nursing black eyes and wondering why he had to choose between being himself and being happy still nipped at his heels, reminding him that he was only one person away from returning to that. It would have been impossible for him to forget. Vlad had opened the shutters on his life, letting the light in for the first time, showing him how wonderful things could be. With him, every day was unique. He'd offered the pomegranate and Robin had eaten for all he was worth.

Over the two years since Vlad being declared the Chosen One, his dedication had only grown. Everything was better with Vladimir around. What he felt for the other boy was deeper than even he cared to examine for fear of what he'd find. His parents didn't understand him, his siblings disliked him, or, in Chloe's case, pitied him, his grades were bad, and the things he was good at were nothing he could make a living from. The only thing he had was his unlikely companionship with someone who, as of tomorrow, would be an official predator of his species. But it was what he had, and he held on unquestioningly. Vlad always acted like there was somewhere else Robin could go, like the vampire was just a convenience Robin had. He didn't correct him out of fear that revealing the actual depth of his devotion would scare Vlad away. He could recover from losing his family. He couldn't recover from losing Vlad.

And so it was that he had made a promise earlier, not just to the insecure vampire, but to himself. Finally, his eyelids began to drift downwards and he curled up. Vlad would need him tomorrow, and he needed to be ready to be there for him.